1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to water filtration equipment, and relates more particularly to a combination skimmer and filter apparatus with a skimmer that opens to provide access to the filter and strainer.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
In the interests of cleanliness, the water in spas, swimming pools, hot tubs, and other such open tanks of water is periodically or continuously recycled through a filtration system. In a typical spa, water drawn from the surface of the spa by a skimmer is pumped through a filter and is returned to the spa through jets affixed to the spa. Often, water is also drawn into the filtration system through a drain in the bottom of the spa.
In order to eliminate floating matter from the water's surface, a filtration system includes a skimmer device that draws water into the filtration system from the surface of the spa. A skimmer usually includes a weir device that regulates the intake of water into the filtration system. One common skimmer design provides a buoyant weir plate that is pivotably mounted at its lower edge. The water level in the spa is higher than the water level within the interior of the skimmer, and as a result, water spills over the weir plate and into the skimmer. The weir plate reaches an equilibrium position whereby the force of the water flowing over the weir plate is balanced by the buoyancy provided by the water within the skimmer. Such a weir plate can pivot to a range of equilibrium positions to accommodate a range of levels of water in the spa.
A filtration system also includes a filter device that traps particulate matter contained in water flowing through the system. One common type of filter is the cartridge filter that is replaceable as a unit. The filtration system is usually supplemented by a strainer, located upstream of the filter, that removes relatively large objects from the water. Periodically, the filter and strainer must be cleaned. This involves removing and replacing the filter, if it is a cartridge type, and removing, cleaning, and reinstalling the strainer.
One way to reduce the cost of water filtration equipment is to combine the skimmer, strainer, and filter devices into a single unit. Such equipment is available through suppliers such as Baker Hydro, Inc. fo Irvine, Calif. and Hayward Pool Products, Inc. of Elizabeth, N.J. The Baker and Hayward devices include a flanged extension that houses the skimmer and provides means for attaching the device to a side wall of the spa. Water drawn into the skimmer flows horizontally through the extension and then into a vertically oriented cylindrical chamber that contains the strainer and the filter. After flowing downward through the strainer and filter, and the water exits the device through a drain in the bottom of the chamber, then flows through a pump and back into the spa. Access for servicing the strainer and filter is provided through a cover plate located at the top of the cylindrical chamber. The cover plate is intended to be mounted flush with the deck surrounding the spa.
One major drawback to such prior art combination skimmer/filter devices are the costs, both monetarily and aesthetically, of providing a flat deck surrounding the spa. While most outdoor spas are installed with surrounding decks, indoor spas are often installed without such a deck. Even if there is a deck, the spa owner may not want an unsightly cover plate next to the spa. Another drawback is the difficulty in servicing the filter in such prior art combination skimmer/filter devices. Service personnel must first remove the cover plate, then reach far below the deck surface to grasp and remove the strainer, and then reach even farther to grasp and remove the filter.